Article support device

ABSTRACT

An article support device ( 10 ) includes a support body ( 14 ) having an article support section ( 12 ) and a cover member ( 16 ) movably coupled to the support body ( 14 ). When the device is used, the support body ( 14 ) is fixedly adhered with a stretch-releasable adhesive tape member ( 18 ) and is attached to a surface ( 36 ) by the adhesive tape member ( 18 ) with a non adhesive pull tab portion ( 18   a ) of the adhesive tape member ( 18 ) projecting outwardly from one longitudinal end of the support body ( 14 ). In this condition, a portion of the cover member ( 16 ) is capable of moving between a first position for hiding the pull tab portion ( 18   a ) projecting outwardly from behind the support body ( 14 ) and a second position for exposing the pull tab portion ( 18   a ) of the adhesive tape member ( 18 ).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an article support device to beattached to a surface using a stretch-releasable adhesive tape memberand for mounting an object or article on the surface.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Article support devices having hooks, clips, hangers, and other varioustypes of article support members used for mounting utensils,decorations, tools and various other articles or objects on walls,columns, furniture and other surfaces are known. In recent years, inthis type of article support device, to facilitate attachment anddetachment of the article support device to and from the surface, it hasbeen proposed to use a stretch releasable adhesive tape to attach thearticle support device to the surface.

A stretch releasable adhesive tape is known as a two-sided adhesive tapehaving the properties of extreme ease of stretching and substantially noreturn from the stretched state. As one example, there is the productcommercially available from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn. under the tradedesignation COMMAND adhesive. This type of stretch releasable adhesivetape is interposed between the surfaces of two objects to firmly fastenthe two objects to each other. At the same time, by gripping andstretching outward one end of the adhesive tape member in the fastenedstate, it can be removed from the surfaces of the two objects relativelyeasily without damaging the surfaces and without leaving adhesiveresidue.

Article support devices using stretch releasable adhesive tapes havetypically included a mount body having a mounter and a baseplateattached movably or removably to the mount body, and the adhesive tapemember is adhered to the baseplate (for example, see Japanese NationalPublication (Tokuhyo) No. 8-507941 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,474). In thisconfiguration, the baseplate is affixed to the stretch releasableadhesive tape and is attached to a desired surface by the adhesive tapewith a non-adhesive pull tab projecting out from behind the baseplate.Further, the mount body is designed to be able to be selectively placedon the baseplate at either a first position concealing both thebaseplate and the non-adhesive pull tab sticking out from the baseplateand a second position exposing the two.

When a conventional article support device having this configuration isattached to a surface using a stretch releasable adhesive tape, it ispossible to mount a desired object on the mounter of the mount bodywhile the mount body is at the first position. Further, when detachingthe article support device from the base surface, the mount body ismoved from the first position to the second position and thenon-adhesive pull tab is gripped and stretched so as to remove theadhesive tape member from the baseplate and the base surface. Note thatthe mount body in a conventional article support device is designed tobe able to be moved between the first and second positions by aconfiguration where it is attached and removed to and from the baseplateby a straight sliding system by a slide structure (Japanese NationalPublication (Tokuhyo) 8-507941), by a configuration where it ispivotally connected to the baseplate by an integral hinge (U.S. Pat. No.5,967,474), etc.

In the above conventional article support devices, the mount body havingthe mounter is not directly fastened to the adhesive tape, so sometimesthe mount body is unintentionally displaced from the first position onthe baseplate due to it being struck by another object or anotheroutside force during use (that is, while the mount body is at the firstposition) and the normal mounting function can no longer be exhibited.To eliminate this inconvenience, it may be considered to provide aholding structure for engaging and holding the mount body on thebaseplate and strengthen the holding force of the holding structure. Ifthe holding force of the holding structure is too strong, however, whentrying to detach the article support device from the base surface, itwill become difficult to move the mount body from the first position tothe second position on the baseplate.

Further, when placing the mount body at the second position and removingthe adhesive tape from the baseplate and the base surface by stretchingit using one hand, it is desirable to the baseplate by the other hand sothat the article support device will not fly away due to the elasticityof the adhesive tape in the instant when the adhesive tape is stretchremoved from the base surface. Currently, in conventional articlesupport devices, the baseplate is smaller and thinner than the mountbody and as a result it tends to become difficult to handily stretchremove the adhesive tape.

It would therefore be desirable to provide an article support devicethat can be attached to a surface using a stretch releasable adhesivetape where the normal mounting function can be stably exhibited in theface of outside force unintentionally received during use and furtherwhere the work of removing the adhesive tape can be performed handilyand easily.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an article support device capable ofbeing attached to a surface using a stretch-releasable adhesive tapemember to support an article on the surface, characterized in that thedevice comprising a support body including an article support section;and a cover member movably coupled to the support body; that the supportbody is capable of being fixedly adhered with a stretch-releasableadhesive tape member and being attached to the surface using theadhesive tape member, with a part of the adhesive tape member projectingoutward from the support body; and that the cover member is capable ofmoving between a first position for hiding the part of thestretch-releasable adhesive tape member projecting from the support bodyand a second position for exposing the part of the adhesive tape member,during a condition where the support body is attached to the surfacethrough the adhesive tape member.

In another aspect, the invention provides such an article support devicefurther comprising a holding mechanism for securely holding the covermember in the first position on the support body.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides such an article supportdevice wherein the cover member linearly moves and rotates relative tothe support body, to shift between the first and second positions.

In another embodiment, the invention provides an such article supportdevice wherein the cover member rotates relative to the support body, toshift between the first and second positions.

In a specific embodiment, the invention provides an article supportdevice wherein the article support section of the support body includesa hook.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an article support device accordingto an embodiment of the present invention together with a stretchreleasable adhesive tape member.

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b are perspective views showing the procedure forremoving the article support device from a base surface, where (a) showsthe state where a cover member is at an intermediate position and (b)shows the state where the cover member is at a second position.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the article support device of FIG. 1 in astate attached to a base surface.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an article support device according toanother embodiment of the present invention shown in the state where thecover member is at a second position.

FIG. 5 is a disassembled perspective view of a modification of thearticle support device of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b are perspective views of an article support deviceaccording to another embodiment of the present invention, where (a)shows the state where the cover member is at a first position and (b)shows the state where the cover member is at a second position.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b are perspective views of an article support deviceaccording to another embodiment of the present invention, where (a)shows the state where the cover member is at a first position and (b)shows the state where the cover member is at a second position.

FIGS. 8 a and 8 b are perspective views of a modification of the articlesupport device of FIG. 7, where (a) shows the state where the covermember is at a first position and (b) shows the state where the covermember is at a second position.

FIGS. 9 a and 9 b are perspective views of an article support deviceaccording to another embodiment of the present invention, where (a)shows the state where the cover member is at a first position and (b)shows the state where the cover member is at a second position.

FIGS. 10 a and 10 b are perspective views of a modification of thearticle support device of FIG. 9, where (a) shows the state where thecover member is at a first position and (b) shows the state where thecover member is at a second position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detailwith reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings, the same orsimilar components are assigned common reference numerals.

Referring to the figures, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing anarticle support device 10 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention together with the stretch-releasable adhesive tape member,FIG. 2 gives perspective views of the procedure for removing the articlesupport device 10 from a surface, and FIG. 3 is a side view of thearticle support device 10 in a state attached to a surface.

The article support device 10 is provided with a support (or mount) body14 having an article support section (or a mounter) 12 and a covermember 16 connected movably to the mount body 14. The mounter 12 has acurved shape functioning as a hook and projects outwardly from onesurface 14 a adjacent one end (bottom end in the figure) of asubstantially rectangular-plate like mount body 14 in the longitudinaldirection. The mounter 12 is preferably formed integrally with the mountbody 14 by the same plastic material as the mount body 14.Alternatively, the mounter 12 may be formed separately from the mountbody 14 and then fastened to the mount body 14.

The mount body 14 is designed so that a stretch-releasable adhesive tape18 can be adhered to a substantially flat back surface 14 b on theopposite side to the front surface 14 a. The stretch releasable adhesivetape 18 is a two-sided adhesive tape and having the properties ofextreme ease of stretching and preferably substantially no return fromthe stretched state and formed to a substantially rectangular stripgenerally corresponding to the shape of the mount body 14. The adhesivetape member 18 has non-adhesive surfaces at its two sides at apredetermined region near one end in the longitudinal direction thatform a non-adhesive pull tab. This non-adhesive region functions as thegrip portion 18 a to be gripped by a user at the time of the laterexplained removal operation. Normally, the adhesive surfaces at the twosides of the adhesive tape 18 are protected by release liners 20 beforeuse (only the release sheet 20 of one side shown). A preferred adhesivetape 18 for use with the article support device 10 is available from 3MCompany, St. Paul, Minn. under the trade designation COMMAND adhesive.

Near one end of the mount body 14 in the longitudinal direction (bottomend in the figure) are provided substantially rectangular notch portions22 at the two sides. Long and short grooves 24 and 26 extending in thelongitudinal direction of the mount body 14 across predetermined lengthsare formed along the end faces of the notch portions 22. The longgrooves 24 extend straight from base ends of the notch portions 22 (topends in the figure) to the middle, while the short grooves 26 extend andopen to the terminal ends of the notch portions 22 (bottom ends in thefigure) along extensions of the long grooves 24.

The cover member 16 is a substantially U-shaped contour flat piecehaving a substantially rectangular main portion 28 and a pair of armportions 30 extending substantially in parallel to each other from oneedge of the main portion 28. The two arm portions 30 of the cover member16 are formed with pairs of projections 32 and 34 arranged apart fromeach other at the facing inside surfaces. The projections 32 arranged atthe terminal ends of the arm portions 30 (top ends in the figure)slidably fit into the long grooves 24 formed in the notch portions 22 ofthe mount body 14. In this manner, the cover member 16 is connected in alinearly movable and pivotable manner to the mount body 14 by theprojections 32 of the two arm portions 30 functioning as pins engagedslidably with the two long grooves 24 of the mount body 14 (hereinaftercalled the “pins 32”).

The projections 34 arranged at the base ends of the arm portions 30 ofthe cover member 16 (bottom ends in the figure) have dimensions andshapes enabling them to be engaged in a fastening manner with the shortgrooves 26 formed in the notch portions 22 of the mount body 14. Theseprojections 34 engage and hold the cover member 16 at the first positionon the mount body 14 by engaging with the two short grooves 26 of themount body 14 and functioning as holding tabs (hereinafter referred toas “holding tabs 34”) when the article support device 10 is in the usagestate shown in FIG. 1 (that is, when the cover member 16 is in the laterexplained first position).

When the article support device 10 is in the usage state shown in FIG.1, the pair of arm portions 30 of the cover member 16 are fit snugly inthe pair of notch portions 22 of the mount body 14 so as not tosubstantially form any gap with the mount body 14 and the cover member16 and so that the outer edges of the two sides of the mount body 14 andthe outer edges of the pair of arm portions 30 are substantially flush.The cover member 16 is preferably formed from the same plastic materialas the mount body 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the article support device 10 is attached to arelatively hard surface 36 such as a wall, column, furniture, etc. usinga stretch releasable adhesive tape member 18 and mounts a utensil,decoration, tool, or various other types of objects on the base surface36 by hanging it on the mounter 12. At the time of use, the mount body14 is fastened to the stretch releasable adhesive tape 18 and isattached to the surface 36 a of the base surface 36 through the adhesivetape member 18 in the state with the grip portion 18 a of the adhesivetape member 18 projecting outwardly from one end of the mount body 14 inthe longitudinal direction at the side adjoining the notch portions 22.In addition, by attaching the mount body 14 to the base surface 36through the adhesive tape 18 in this way, the cover member 16 can bemoved between a first position concealing the grip portion 18 a of theadhesive tape member 18 projecting outwardly from the mount body 14(FIG. 1) and a second position exposing the grip portion 18 a of theadhesive tape member 18 (FIG. 2( b)).

When the article support device 10 is in the normal usage state, thecover member 16 is placed at the first position. In this position, thetwo arm portions 30 of the cover member 16 are fit snugly in thecorresponding notch portions 22 of the mount body 14 and the holdingtabs 34 are fit in a fastening manner in the corresponding short grooves26. As a result, the cover member 16 is engaged and held at the firstposition on the mount body 14. During this time, the mount body 14 isfirmly affixed to the surface 36 a of the base surface 36 directly bythe stretch releasable adhesive tape 18, so an object of a predeterminedweight can be hung on the mounter 12 and a normal mount function can bestably exhibited in the face of striking by another object or anotheroutside force able to be unintentionally received during use. Further,since the main portion 28 of the cover member 16 conceals the gripportion 18 a of the adhesive tape member 18, it is possible to ensure anaesthetically desirable appearance of the article support device 10.

When detaching the article support device 10 from the base surface 36, auser grips the cover member 16, applies force in the longitudinaldirection so that it moves away from the mount body 14, and detaches theholding tabs 34 from the corresponding short grooves 26. In this manner,the cover member 16 leaves the first position and moves straight undersliding engagement of the pins 32 of the two arm portions 30 and thecorresponding long grooves 24 of the mount body 14 (FIG. 2( a)). Theuser then pivots the cover member 16 about the two pins 32 to move it tothe second position where the main portion 28 is positioned under themount 12 (FIG. 2( b)). Next, the user uses one hand to firmly grasp themount 12 of the mount body 14 while holding the cover member 16 at thesecond position and uses the other hand to grip the grip portion 18 a ofthe exposed adhesive tape member 18 and stretch it in a direction awayfrom the mount body 14. Upon stretching, the adhesive tape member 18 isremoved from the back surface 14 b of the mount body 14 and the surface36 a of the base surface 36 relatively easily without damaging thesurfaces 14 b and 36 a.

In this way, when stretching the adhesive tape member 18 using one handto stretch remove it off from the mount body 14 and base surface 36, itis possible to firmly hold down the mount body 14 relatively easilyusing the other hand so that the article support device 10 does not flyaway due to the elasticity of the adhesive tape member 18 at the instantwhen the adhesive tape member 18 releases from the base surface 36. As aresult, even a beginner can readily stretch and remove the adhesive tapemember 18.

It will be recognized that the article support device according to thepresent invention is not limited to the above embodiment and that it ispossible to employ various configurations as explained below within thedisclosure of the claims.

FIG. 4 shows an article support device 40 according to anotherembodiment of the present invention. The article support device 40 hassubstantially the same configuration as the above article support device10 except for the configuration of the mounter, so correspondingcomponents are assigned common reference numerals and explanationsthereof are omitted. That is, the article support device 40 is providedwith a mount body 14 having a mounter 42 and a cover member 16 movablyconnected to the mount body 14. The mounter 42 has a substantiallyT-projecting shape able to effectively function as, for example, acurtain sash hook.

In the article support device 40, the mounter 42 sticks out further fromthe surface 14 a of the mount body 14 and extends farther in thelongitudinal direction of the mount body 14 (in particular up to closeto the bottom end in the illustrated longitudinal direction) comparedwith the mounter 12 of the general shape shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, asillustrated, the position about the center of rotation of the two armportions 30 (pins 32 of FIG. 3) when the cover member 16 is placed atthe second position is preferably as far away as possible from theintegral connection portion of the mounter 42 and the mount body 14 sothat the grip portion 18 a of the adhesive tape member 18 can besufficiently exposed while avoiding interference between the mainportion 28 of the cover member 16 and the mounter 42. Further, asexplained above, it is advantageous if the main portion 28 of the covermember 16 is positioned directly under the mounter 42 at the secondposition so that a user can easily and firmly grip the mounter 42 whileholding the cover member 16 at the second position by one hand. Thus,with the article support device 40, the pair of notch portions 22 andlong grooves 25 of the mount body 14 and the pair of arm portions 30 ofthe cover member 16 are formed longer than the case of the articlesupport device 10 of FIG. 1.

In the article support device 10 shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 3,even at the intermediate position where the pins 32 of the cover member16 do not reach the terminal ends of the corresponding long grooves 24(bottom ends in the figure), it is possible to pivot the cover member 16and place it at the second position. In the article support device 40shown in FIG. 4, however, as explained above, the center of rotation ofthe cover member 16 being set at the terminal ends of the long grooves24 (bottom ends in the figure) is essential from the viewpoint offacilitating the later work of stretching the adhesive tape member 18.Therefore, as shown as a modification in FIG. 5, it is advantageous ifthe pair of arm portions 30 of the cover member 16 are formed with pins44 of substantially oval cross-sections enabling engagement and straightsliding action with the long grooves 24 of the mount body 14 and if theterminal ends of the long grooves (bottom ends in the figure) are formedwith circular grooves 46 allowing pivoting of the pins 44. According tothis configuration, the pivoting of the cover member 16 to the secondposition becomes possible only when the pins 44 are placed at theterminal ends of the long grooves 24 (bottom ends in the figure) evenwithout the user keeping this in mind. Note that in the illustratedexample, anti-slip serrations 48 for enabling a firm grip by the userare preferably formed at the two sides of the main portion 28 of thecover member.

FIG. 6 shows an article support device 50 according to still anotherembodiment of the present invention. The article support device 50 hassubstantially the same configuration as the above article support device40 except for the configurations of the mount body and the cover member,so corresponding components are assigned common reference numerals andexplanations thereof are omitted. That is, the article support device 50is provided with a mount body 52 having a mounter 42 and a cover member54 movably connected to the mount body 52.

The mount body 52 is provided with a single substantially rectangularnotch portion 56, instead of the above pair of notch portions 22, formedat one end in the longitudinal direction (bottom end in the figure).Long and short grooves (not shown) corresponding to the above longgrooves 24 and short grooves 26 are formed along the facing surfaces ofthe pair of extending pieces 58 defining the notch portion 56. The covermember 54 has a main portion 60 having a substantially semioval contourand one arm portion 64 connected to one edge of the main portion 60through an integral hinge 62. The arm portion 64 of the cover member 54is provided with projecting pins (not shown) corresponding to theabove-mentioned pins 32 at the two side edges. Further, the main portion60 of the cover member 54 is provided with projecting holding tabs 66corresponding to the above-mentioned holding tabs 34 at the two sideedges. Further, the arm portion 64 of the cover member 54 is formed witha holding tab 68 on the other side edge.

During use, the mount body 52 of the article support device 50 isfastened to the adhesive tape member 18 and attached to the base surfacethrough the adhesive tape member 18 in the state with the grip portion18 a of the stretch releasable adhesive tape member 18 projectingoutwardly farther from the notch portion 56 of the mount body 52.Further, at this time, the cover member 54 can be moved between a firstposition where the main portion 60 conceals the grip portion 18 a of theadhesive tape member 18 sticking out from the mount body 52 (FIG. 6( a))and a second position where it exposes the grip portion 18 a of theadhesive tape member 18 (FIG. 6( b)).

When the article support device 50 is in the normal usage state, thecover member 54 is placed at the first position. In this position, thearm portion 64 of the cover member 54 and part of the adjoining mainportion 60 are fit snugly in the notch portion 56 of the mount body 52and the holding tabs 66 and 68 are fit in a fastening manner in thecorresponding grooves (not shown) of the mount body 52. As a result, thecover member 54 is engaged and held at the first position on the mountbody 52.

When detaching the article support device 50 from the base surface, theuser grips the cover member 54, applies force in the longitudinaldirection so that it moves away from the mount body 52, and detaches theholding tabs 66 and 68 from the corresponding grooves. As a result, thecover member 54 leaves the first position and moves straight undersliding engagement of the pins (not shown) of the arm portion 64 and thecorresponding grooves of the mount body 52. The user then pivots themain portion 60 of the cover member 54 about the integral hinge 62 tomove it to the second position where the main portion 60 is positionedunder the mounter 42. By this two-step operation, the grip portion 18 aof the adhesive tape member 18 can be sufficiently exposed whileavoiding interference between the main portion 60 of the cover member 54and the mounter 42. Next, the user uses one hand to firmly grasp themounter 42 of the mount body 52 while holding the cover member 54 at thesecond position and uses the other hand to grip the grip portion 18 a ofthe exposed adhesive tape member 18 and stretch it in a direction awayfrom the mount body 52. In this manner, the adhesive tape member 18 isremoved from the mount body 52 and base surface.

FIG. 7 shows an article support device 70 according to still anotherembodiment of the present invention. The article support device 70 hassubstantially the same configuration as the above article support device40 except for the configurations of the mount body and the cover member,so corresponding components are assigned common reference numerals andexplanations thereof are omitted. That is, the article support device 70is provided with a mount body 72 having a mounter 42 and a cover member74 movably connected to the mount body 72.

The mount body 72 is provided with a pair of groove holes 76 extendingparallel to each other at one end in the longitudinal direction (bottomend in the figure). The groove holes 76 receive a pair of guide shaftsprojecting from one edge of the cover member 74 in a manner slidable inthe longitudinal direction across a predetermined range. The covermember 74 has an outer frame portion 80 having a substantially U-shapecontour and a main portion 84 connected to the inside of the outer frameportion 80 through an integral hinge 82. The outer frame portion of thecover member 74 is provided at one side edge with a pair of guide shafts78 and holding tabs 86 corresponding to the above-mentioned holding tabs34. Further, the main portion 84 of the cover member 74 is provided onone side edge with a holding tab 88. The holding tab 88 provided on themain portion 84 can be snapped into a recess 90 provided at the insideedge of the outer frame portion 80.

During use, the mount body 72 is fastened to the adhesive tape member 18and attached to the base surface by the adhesive tape member 18 in thestate with the grip portion 18 a of the stretch releasable adhesive tapemember 18 sticking out further from one end of the mount body 52 in thelongitudinal direction (bottom end in the figure). Further, at thistime, the cover member 74 can be moved between a first position wherethe main portion 84 conceals the grip portion 18 a of the adhesive tapemember 18 sticking out from the mount body 72 (FIG. 7( a)) and a secondposition where it exposes the grip portion 18 a of the adhesive tapemember 18 (FIG. 7( b)).

When the article support device 70 is in its normal usage state, thecover member 74 is placed at the first position. At this time, the pairof guide shafts 78 of the cover member 74 are pulled into thecorresponding groove holes 76 of the mount body 72 and the holding tab86 is inserted in a fastening manner into the corresponding groove (notshown) of the mount body 72. Further, the main portion 84 of the covermember is received inside the outer frame portion 80 and the holding tab88 is fit into the recess 90. As a result, the cover member 74 isengaged and held at the first position on the mount body 72.

When detaching the article support device 70 from the base surface, theuser grips the outer frame portion 80 of the cover member 74, appliesforce in the longitudinal direction so that it moves away from the mountbody 72, and detaches the holding tab 86 from the corresponding groove.As a result, the cover member 74 leaves the first position and movesstraight under sliding engagement of the guide shafts 78 and thecorresponding groove holes of the mount body 72. The user then pivotsthe main portion 84 of the cover member 74 about the integral hinge 82to move it to the second position where the main portion 84 sticks outfrom the outer frame portion 80 and exposes the inside of the outerframe portion 80. By this two-step operation, the grip portion 18 a ofthe adhesive tape member 18 can be sufficiently exposed while avoidinginterference between the main portion 84 of the cover member 74 and themounter 42. Next, the user uses one hand to firmly grasp the mounter 42of the mount body 72 while holding the cover member 74 at the secondposition and uses the other hand to grip the grip portion 18 a of theexposed adhesive tape member 18 and stretch it in a direction away fromthe mount body 72. In this manner, the adhesive tape member 18 isremoved from the mount body 72 and base surface.

It will be recognized that the article support device 70 may also beconfigured in the design of the outer frame portion 80 of the covermember 74 as shown as a modification in, for example, FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 shows an article support device 100 according to still anotherembodiment of the present invention. The article support device 100 hassubstantially the same configuration as the above article support device10 except for the configurations of the mount body and the cover member,so corresponding components are assigned common reference numerals andexplanations thereof are omitted. That is, the article support device100 is provided with a mount body 102 having a mounter 12 and a covermember 104 movably connected to the mount body 102.

The mount body 102 is provided with large and small grooves 106 and 108at one end in the longitudinal direction (bottom end in the figure). Thelarge groove 106 receives a tongue piece 110 projecting out from oneedge of the cover member 104 and supported pivotally through a pin 112.Further, the small groove 108 may have fastened or snapped into it aholding tab 114 projecting out from one edge of the cover member 104.The cover member 104 has a plate-shaped main portion 116 and is providedwith the tongue piece 110 and holding tab 114 at one edge of the mainportion 116.

When the article support device 100 is used, the mount body 102 isfastened to the adhesive tape member 18 and attached to the base surfacethrough the adhesive tape member 18 in the state with the grip portion18 a of the stretch releasable adhesive tape member 18 sticking outfurther from one end of the mount body 102 in the longitudinal direction(bottom end in the figure). Further, at this time, the cover member 104can be moved between a first position where the main portion 116conceals the grip portion 18 a of the adhesive tape member 18 projectingoutwardly from the mount body 102 (FIG. 9( a)) and a second positionexposing the grip portion 18 a of the adhesive tape member 18 (FIG. 9(b)).

While the article support device 100 is in the normal usage state, thecover member 104 is placed at the first position in which the holdingtab 114 of the cover member 104 is fastened or snapped into the smallgroove 108 of the mount body 102. As a result, the cover member 104 isengaged and held at the first position on the mount body 102.

When detaching the article support device 100 from the base surface, theuser grips the cover member 104, applies force so that it moves awayfrom the mount body 102 in the counterclockwise direction about the pin112, and detaches the holding tab 114 from the small groove 108. As aresult, the cover member 104 leaves the first position, pivots in thecounterclockwise direction about the pin 112, and moves to the secondposition. By this pivoting operation, the grip portion 18 a of theadhesive tape member 18 can be sufficiently exposed. Next, the user usesone hand to firmly grasp mainly the mounter 12 of the mount body 102while holding the cover member 104 at the second position and uses theother hand to grip the grip portion 18 a of the exposed adhesive tapemember 18, stretch it in a direction away from the mount body 102, andthereby remove the adhesive tape member 18 from the mount body 102.

It will be recognized that the article support device 100, as shown forexample as a modification in FIG. 10, can also be configured to have asubstantially T-shaped mounter 42 able to effectively function as forexample a curtain sash hook. In this configuration, by just pivoting thecover member 104 with respect to the mount body 102, the cover member104 can be placed at the second position and the grip portion 18 a ofthe adhesive tape member 18 can be sufficiently exposed while avoidinginterference between the cover member 104 and the mounter 42.

While various embodiments of the present invention were explained above,the present invention is not limited to a device having a mounterfunctioning as a hook as in the illustrated embodiments. For example, itwill be understood that it can also be embodied as an article supportdevice provided with a mounter having a clip, hanger, or otherfunctional configuration.

1. An article support device capable of being attached to a surfaceusing a stretch-releasable adhesive tape member to support an article onthe surface, comprising: a support body including an article supportsection and further including at least one notch; and a cover memberincluding at least one projection for engagement within the notch toslidably couple the cover member to said support body; wherein saidsupport body is fixedly adhered with a stretch-releasable adhesive tapemember and being attached to a surface by said adhesive tape member,with a part of said adhesive tape member projecting outwardly from saidsupport body; and further wherein said cover member is capable of movingbetween a first position for hiding the part of said stretch-releasableadhesive tape member projecting from said support body and a secondposition for exposing the part of said adhesive tape member when saidsupport body is attached to the surface by said adhesive tape member,wherein the cover member is coplanar with the support body when in thefirst position and the projection linearly and pivotally moves withinthe notch so that the cover member moves linearly and rotates relativeto said support body to shift between said first and second positions.2. An article support device as set forth in claim 1, further comprisinga holding mechanism for securely holding said cover member in said firstposition on said support body.
 3. An article support device as set forthin claim 1, wherein said article support section of said support bodyincludes a hook.
 4. An article support device capable of being attachedto a surface, comprising: a support body including an article supportsection that projects outwardly from one surface of the support body andfurther includes at least one notch; and a cover member including atleast one projection for engagement within the notch to slidably couplethe cover member to the support body; a stretch-releasable adhesive tapemember adhered on one side to the support body and adhered on anopposite side to the surface, the stretch-releasable tape member havinga grip portion projecting outwardly from the support body; wherein theprojection linearly and pivotally moves within the notch so that thecover member pivots between a first position for hiding the grip portionof the stretch-releasable adhesive tape member and a second position forexposing the grip portion of the adhesive tape member when the supportbody is attached to the surface by the adhesive tape member.
 5. Anarticle support device capable of being attached to a surfacecomprising: a support body including an article support section that isa hook that projects outwardly from one surface of the support body andfurther includes a first notch and a second notch parallel to the firstnotch; and a cover member including a first projection for engagementwithin the first notch and a second projection for engagement with thesecond notch to movably couple the cover member to said support body; astretch-releasable adhesive tape member comprising an adhesive portionand a non-adhesive grip portion; wherein the projections linearly andpivotally move within the notches; wherein the support body is adheredto the adhesive portion of the stretch-releasable adhesive tape and thenon-adhesive grip portion projects from the support body and is hiddenby the cover member when in a first position and the non-adhesive gripportion is exposed when the cover member is in a second position.